Peyton Manning helped the Denver Broncos overcome a 14-0 deficit in the first quarter, and again by a touchdown in the fourth quarter, to earn a thrilling 51-48 win on the road against the Dallas Cowboys. During the record-setting game, the Broncos and Cowboys combined for 1,039 yards of total offense. It's also tied for the second-highest scoring game since the NFL-AFL merger in 1970.

Down 24-0 at halftime, quarterback Tom Brady guided a second-half comeback that forced overtime, where the New England Patriots eventually won, 34-31. The Patriots lost fumbles on their first three possessions as the Broncos built a 24-0 lead in the first half. However, the Patriots rallied, scoring on their first five possessions of the second half to erase the deficit. In overtime, the Patriots took advantage of a fortunate bounce of a punt to recover a fumble and win on a field goal by Stephen Gostkowski.

Joe Flacco threw a touchdown pass to rookie receiver Marlon Brown with four seconds left to cap a frenzied final two minutes and lift the Baltimore Ravens to a thrilling 29-26 win over the Minnesota Vikings. Despite playing in a snowstorm, the Ravens and Vikings combined for five touchdowns in the game's final 125 seconds. The Flacco-to-Brown score finished a five-play, 80-yard drive that eclipsed all but four of the game's final 45 seconds.

Facing a fourth-and-8 at the Chicago Bears' 48-yard line with 38 seconds remaining, Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers hit receiver Randall Cobb for a 48-yard touchdown play that helped the Packers capture the NFC North crown. Rodgers had missed seven games with a broken collarbone and Cobb had missed the previous 10 games with a knee injury.